Today we issue a rallying cry to the north: join us to demand what government promised us.

As part of our day of action, news titles across the region are starting a petition calling on ministers to come good on their northern powerhouse pledges - by ending the chaos on our rail services, signing off the upgrades they promised us and redressing decades of underfunding to the region.

Four years ago this month, then-Chancellor George Osborne promised - when unveiling his vision for a northern powerhouse - to ‘join our northern cities together’ with faster, modern transport connections.

Directly addressing the franchise eventually won by Northern Rail a year later, he said: “We’ll want to see not just better services, and more seats at peak times, but also better journeys.”

We agree. So now that's what we want.

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Instead of launching a lengthy inquiry that will not report back - with information the government should already know - until the end of the year, transport secretary Chris Grayling needs to end the chaos on our rail network NOW.

Middlesbrough MP and Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald has called for Mr Grayling to resign.

It is beyond doubt we need a fair, fit-for-purpose compensation scheme put in place within days. And we need the rest of the northern powerhouse that government promised us too: the major transport projects we were pledged, but which are now languishing on Mr Grayling’s desk.

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Finally, we want fair funding - not more second-class services, while London eyes up its SECOND high-speed CrossRail link. With one voice, we say to the Prime Minister: You promised us a northern powerhouse, it’s time you delivered it.